TF students brighten lift station

As work continues on phases 1 and 2 of the wastewater project in Thompson Falls, there's a new highlight. Thompson Falls High School students worked last week to complete a mural on the side of a sewer lift station that sits just above the railroad tracks between the East and West ramps.

Teacher Micah Grossberg and his Art 1 class took advantage of a late-summer warm day last Wednesday and painted the mural that depicts a series of pipes. The students spent the entire school day first prepping the area with a grid of chalk lines, then sketched the 10-foot tall by 36-foot wide mural square by square. Eighteen students used nearly five gallons of mural paint to finish the piece. Grossberg said the mural paint was thick and opaque, so it covered well.

The City of Thompson Falls purchased the paint and supplies for the class to complete the work. Grossberg said the city approached him with the idea of covering the exposed portion of the cement lift station wall with a mural. Grossberg came up with the pipe concept because the concrete is a retaining wall for all the pipes. "It's a simple concept and I wanted to do something with bright colors," the art teacher explained. He said that James Crowder with Crowder Design helped him digitize his initial sketch and prepare it for transferring to the wall.

The mural was painted using five colors - teal, blue, red, orange and yellow for the background. "I wanted a hand-drawn look and something community friendly," Grossberg expressed.

The students were excited as they completed each square last Wednesday, stepping back often to see their work come together. "The students are doing awesome," Grossberg said when the mural was about half done. "They are communicating well and working together." The students were from all high school grades and said they were excited to see the finished product. Grossberg will cover the mural with varnish to help seal it and protect it from weathering.